Why Is the Word Thug Spiking on Merriam-Webster?

Why Is the Word Thug Spiking on Merriam-Webster?

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, after tipping a pass which led to a game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter during the 2014 NFC Championship.

Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

What: Thug.

When: Lookups spiked on January 23, 2014.

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Why: Various commentators described Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman as a "thug" because of his on-camera rant after his team won the NFC title against the San Francisco 49ers, leading Sherman to accuse his critics of deploying thug as a thinly veiled racial slur.

Sherman later added to the debate over the word's meaning by saying, "What's the definition of a thug, really? Is it a guy on a football field just talking to people?"

Where: As Merriam-Webster defines it, thug means "a violent criminal," and is synonymous with gangster and tough. It comes from the Hindi and Urdu word meaning "thief."